1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coupler for auxiliary lenses, and more particularly to a coupler for auxiliary lenses, capable of detachably coupling auxiliary lenses to spectacles, or main glasses, and pivoting the auxiliary lenses so as for them to be out of a user""s sight when they are not used.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional auxiliary lenses having a sunglasses function are disclosed in Korean Utility Model No. 206,836, in which the auxiliary lenses are detachably coupled to spectacles so as for them to be able to be out of a user""s sight without being detached or separated from the main glasses when they are not needed, for example, when a user drives into a tunnel. Referring to FIG. 13, a conventional coupler for conventional auxiliary lenses includes a coupling member 100, and upper and lower permanent magnets 102, 104 which are installed at the rear part of the coupling member 100 and opposite to each other by being installed at upper and lower portions of the coupling member 100, respectively. A vacant space is provided between the permanent magnets 102, 104 arranged at the rear part of the coupling member 100, and a holding space 112 is provided at the front part of the coupling member 100. The coupler further comprises a permanent magnet 106 inserted into a penetrating hole formed in a bridge 110 of spectacles or main glasses, in which the bridge 100 is provided between two glasses of the spectacles 108. The coupler is combined with the spectacles 108 in such a manner that the bridge 110 of the spectacles 108 is inserted into the vacant space of the coupling member 100 and the spectacles 108 and the coupling member 100 are secured to each other by a magnetic force caused between the permanent magnets 102, 104 installed in the coupling member 100, 104 and the permanent magnet 106 installed in the bridge 110 of the spectacles 108. On the other hand, a bridge 116 of the auxiliary lenses 114 is received in the holding space 112 of the coupling member 100, so that the auxiliary lenses 114 and the coupling member 100 are combined with each other.
In the conventional coupler for auxiliary lenses as described above, to make the bridge 110 of the spectacles 108 stable in the vacant space of the coupling member 100, the upper and lower surfaces of the bridge 110 of the spectacles 108 must be planar. Accordingly, the conventional coupler is disadvantageous in that a design modification of the spectacles 108 is limited and appearance of the spectacles 108 is not good when the auxiliary lenses 114 are separated from the spectacles since the permanent magnet 106 is exposed at the upper surface of the bridge 110. Further, when the auxiliary lenses are detached from the spectacles, since the permanent magnet 106 is visible at the upper surface of the spectacles, the spectacles may be recognized as those for combination use with auxiliary lenses, such that users are reluctant to wear the spectacles alone.
Further, when the auxiliary lenses are attached to the spectacles, since the holding space 112, in which the bridge 116 of the auxiliary lenses 116 is received and held, of the coupling member 100 is located above the bridge 110 of the spectacles 108, and the bridge 116 of the auxiliary lenses are arranged above two lenses of the auxiliary lenses, the coupling member 100 is clearly visible. Accordingly, the appearance of a user wearing the spectacles and the auxiliary lenses is not good. Further, when a user wears the auxiliary lenses, since the bridge of the auxiliary lenses is not located in the middle portion of the two glasses, the auxiliary lenses are unattractive to people who are familiar with glasses having a bridge at the middle portion thereof.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a coupler for auxiliary lenses capable of satisfying the original function of a coupler itself, allowing a bridge of spectacles to be freely designed, allowing a bridge of auxiliary lenses to be located in the middle portion of glasses of the auxiliary lenses, and having a good appearance by not requiring an additional attaching member and minimizing exposure of the coupler when they are worn by a user.
In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a coupler for auxiliary lenses comprising a coupling unit, an operation unit which is extended and retracted forward and backward to be far or near from the coupling unit and is arranged to be pivoted upward on a pin when it is extended, and a sliding panel which is extended and retracted forward and backward in the operation unit and has an end combined with and fixed to a bridge of the auxiliary lenses.
Preferably, the coupling unit may include a guide panel having a guide groove formed on an upper surface thereof for guiding a sliding movement of the operation unit, a pin installed to across the guide groove and coupled to guide rails formed at both side edges of the guide panel, and an opening and closing panel combined with the guide panel by a hinge member and defining a coupling space between the guide panel and itself, wherein an opening of the coupling space is closed by permanent magnets.
Preferably, the operation unit 12 may include a body received in the guide groove of the guide panel and slidable through a space defined by the pin and the upper surface of the guide groove, permanent magnets 32, 34 formed in the body, a hooking groove formed at a rear end portion of the body, a sliding groove formed at the lower surface of the body, guide rails formed at both side edges of the sliding groove, and protrusions formed at respective inside surfaces of the guide rails to define a guide path therebetween, wherein the rearmost surface and the bottom surface of the operation unit forms a sector shape.
Preferably, the sliding panel 16 may be made of metal, and include a body having a width determined by a width of the guide path of the operation unit and a guiding section formed at the rear end of the body and having a width determined by a width of the sliding groove.